Longleaf Pine ARRA Grant

Longleaf Restoration

The Longleaf Pine – native to South Carolina – is undergoing a restoration initiative as part of a joint venture program which includes forestry agencies in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina. These agencies are putting Americans to work through an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant known as the Regional Longleaf Pine Restoration Initiative and Fuel Reduction Grant. These funds are helping to restore these valuable forests through activities such as planting longleaf pine on state-owned and private lands; increasing production capacity of longleaf pine seed, seedlings, and native understory plants; coordinating efforts across broad partnerships; and providing educational materials and training to the public and staff. This work is helping to restore a great American ecosystem while creating jobs for contractors and laborers involved in tree planting and forest improvement work, nursery workers, conservation planners and coordinators, media specialists, and educators.

Through this initiative state forest agencies have collectively joined forces to restore the longleaf pine to its natural habitat. The longleaf pine once covered a vast range of territory from Texas to Virginia, but has been reduced to three percent of historical acreage due to conversion to other land uses and forest types. Because research suggests longleaf pine forests may be highly adaptive to anticipated effects of climate change as well as displaying an ability to sequester higher amounts of carbon than alternative forest types, the South Carolina Forestry Commission is committed to adapting processes that will add to the health and growth of the longleaf pine.

Longleaf pine forests are highly valued for their resistance to damage by insects, diseases, wildfire, and storms, and for their yield of high quality wood products, biological diversity, and scenic beauty.

Our Team At Work

Private Lands Management
Longleaf pine restoration activities include site preparation, tree planting, prescribed burning, and midstory control. All funds in this grant category have been allocated as of December 15, 2009. For cost-share assistance under the States Forest Renewal Program, contact your local Project Forester.

Planning
Longleaf pine restoration activities include identifying qualifying, and mapping where longleaf pine occurs on state-owned lands. Also included is hiring an administrative specialist to track accomplishments and produce reports.

Education and Outreach
Longleaf pine restoration activities include training agency foresters on longleaf pine restoration and management and educating the public about the values, opportunities, and methods of longleaf pine restoration.